


Night Watch

by meliaantiqua



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Gen, It is now, Late Night Conversations, Mutual Pining, Pining, Spoilers, heart to heart, i cant believe that isnt a tag yet, melifiora, post-mechonis core, the rest of the party are mentioned but not enough to tag, theyre both oblivious and gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24293551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meliaantiqua/pseuds/meliaantiqua
Summary: Melia, Dunban, and a late-night conversation about the princess' feelings. (Indirect mechonis core spoilers, direct party member spoilers.)
Relationships: Melia Ancient | Melia Antiqua/Fiora, Melia Antiqua & Dunban
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47





	Night Watch

**Author's Note:**

> drabble of dunban being a future brother in law to melia. let's go lesbians!

The party had stopped up on the snowy peaks of Valak Mountain, just out of earshot of the small nopon camp which inexplicably managed to keep running in what was “a desert” according to Shulk, and “not a desert, where’s the sand?” according to Reyn. The hunt for obscure collectibles was a rough one, but getting to Three Sage Summit was arguably the hardest part of all. After a lot of loud complaining from Riki, and less loud complaining but equal looks of exhaustion on his friends’ faces, Shulk decided it would be best to stay the night in a small alcove, and continue their venture in the morning. 

In retrospect, this had been an excellent idea, since snow had since started to fall in heavy waves over the landscape. Melia, currently on night watch (a necessity, since those damn Tirkins could get where water couldn’t,) could only just see the mysteriously-lit crystals littering the mountain. 

For a while, all the high entian heir could hear was the wind rushing around outside their camp, and the occasional distant cry of a monster too close to another’s territory. She’d almost dozed off, the sound of nature a potent lullaby, when she heard the soft crunch of footsteps from inside the cave, headed toward the mouth where she sat perched on a rock. 

“Melia?” Ah, Dunban. Was it- “It’s late. Let me take over watch duty while you get some rest.” 

Melia turned her upper body towards the voice, quickly waking up fully. She hoped her wings weren’t ruffled; the usual dead giveaway when she’d just woken up, much to the amusement of the others. 

“Oh, Dunban.” Her voice didn’t sound as shaky as she’d expected. Good start. “I had not realised how late it was. Thank you. I will head back in and sleep now.” 

She stood, brushing off her dress as Dunban sat down next to where she’d been seconds prior. Regaining her balance, Melia was about to walk back to her own bundle of blankets waiting inside, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on her arm.

“Actually, could I speak to you, Melia? My apologies for keeping you up so late.” A soft flicker of dread lit in the princess’s stomach, but she chose to ignore it and respond to the unexpected situation with the grace and dignity of an heir coached to deal with any situation. 

“Of course.” Melia sat back down on the rock, the blanket she’d brought with her luckily still warm. “What troubles you?” In her heart, she already had a feeling, but surely she wasn’t  _ that _ transparent? 

“I wouldn’t say anything is  _ troubling _ me. Rather, I just wanted to clarify something.” Oh no. 

“It’s about Fiora.”

_ Oh no. _

_ You’re the high entian heir. You can handle this.  _

“W-What about her?” A stammer. Melia really wasn’t putting up a convincing act, was she? 

A soft smile made its way onto Dunban’s face, and Melia felt a glimmer of hope that maybe he wasn’t as horrifically overprotective as Kallian had been when her father had brought up grandchildren. That had been a very, very short conversation that even Alvis seemed surprised at. 

“Don’t look so worried. I’ve just noticed the way you look at her. If I didn’t know better, I would think Meyneth was still in her. You’re so nervous around her.” 

Melia found herself wringing her hands in her lap, something she hadn’t done since she was young and accidentally let dobercorgis out into the capital. “I-I simply find her…”  _ Radiant? Amazing? A perfect example of what a confident, positive leader should be? Everything I am too afraid to become? Inspiring? …Beautiful?  _ “...Interesting. It is not often you meet someone who has been through what she has.” 

“Indeed,” Had she really fooled him so easily? “But that isn’t what I mean, Melia. You look at her the way s-the way the couples back in the Colony look at each other when they think the other isn’t looking.” No, she hadn’t, and more fool her for thinking she _could._

There was silence for a long moment, in which the snow continued to fall down in front of them.

“I see. There is no point denying it, then.” Melia was backed into a proverbial corner, now, and Dunban didn’t look upset, merely curious. “Yes. When I see Fiora, I see the sort of person I want to spend my life with. I had never entertained the possibility before. My father had mentioned suitors to me, but I was simply...indifferent to the idea.” 

Dunban was still smiling lightly, and she took it as a silent invitation to continue. “I thought I felt that way about Shulk, at first, but I think I was simply trying to live up to the expectation that I would marry a man. Then, when we rescued Fiora, I believe I realised why I had never experienced the typical heart-racing feeling I had read about - I was looking the wrong way my entire life, blind to the possibility of wanting to be with a-another woman.” Melia finished with a soft sigh, not expecting to pour out her heart to Dunban, and feeling more vulnerable than she could have anticipated. 

The man was silent for a moment, brow furrowed just so in thought, before speaking again, low enough that any night owls in their party wouldn’t overhear. “I understand, Melia. Really, I do. Being with someone of the same gender isn’t unheard of within Homs communities, but it isn’t something we’re told about as often as the more common couplings. I can only assume things are the same for High Entia. Not to mention your status as future Empress must require you to carry on your bloodline - now more than ever.” Melia felt a lump in her throat at the grim reminder of her pureblooded peoples’ fate, but remained silent. “However, I don’t believe for a second that it would stop you. You’ve always pushed boundaries and fought for what you believed in. The way you want to spend your life is entirely up to you, heir or not.” 

The princess found herself lost for words, her hands shaking slightly in her lap. She truly hadn’t expected to admit the feelings that had been eating away at her since they’d first reunited with Shulk and Fiora at the hidden village. She was still collecting her thoughts, currently floating around in her head and scattered with visions of blonde hair and kind green eyes, and soft hands intertwined with hers, when Dunban spoke again.

“You should also take into account that...Ah, how do I word this? That you aren’t the only person with feelings like this. The confusion and fear you’re feeling, although rarely talked about, is a lot more common than you might expect.” He must’ve noticed the disbelief etched on Melia’s face, and an odd spark appeared in his eyes. “In full confidence that you’ll keep this quiet, do you know that you aren’t the only one in our group to come to me with this exact predicament?” 

The disbelief was  _ definitely  _ showing on her face now. “I-It seems you’ve rendered me speechless, Dunban.” She practically forced the words out, the news that she  _ wasn’t alone  _ a suffocating yet reassuring weight on her shoulders. The hero of the Homs laughed softly, an unmistakable fondness in his expression, the kind he showed when he was talking about... _ Oh. _ The fondness shown when he was talking about Fiora, his little sister and the most important person in his life. When he spoke again, it was with such assurance in his tone that Melia felt more certain of herself than she had in a while. 

“I think you should take some time, when we’re all together, to really notice the way other people look at you, Melia. You’ve been so caught up in your own feelings - understandably so - that you haven’t been aware of those around you. You know now that you aren’t alone in your feelings. Take that knowledge, and make your own future, the future  _ you _ want to live in.” 

Melia could do nothing but smile gratefully, hoping her emotions were readable. She felt oddly light, as though nothing could tear her down. “Dunban, I...Thank you. Truly.  _ Thank you. _ ” 

Her companion smiled back. “I’ve kept you long enough, now. Please do get some rest. It’s a long hike towards the cliffs tomorrow.” 

The princess had forgotten about her fatigue due to their conversation, and she was suddenly aware of how heavy her eyes felt. “Yes, I will. Goodnight.”

She fell asleep remarkably easily, waking the next morning to the smell of some sort of meat cooking over a small fire the others had set up, and the quiet, familiar murmur of Shulk, Sharla and Fiora’s voices. 

When they eventually left their camp, heavily bundled in layers of wool-lined clothes, Melia remembered Dunban’s words, and made a conscious effort to notice how others looked at her. 

And when she caught Fiora’s eye after a battle, and the other girl smiled gently at her, and then turned away with a high flush on her cheeks that was just too dark to be from the cold, it hit her. And when she turned the other way, and saw Dunban watching all-too smugly, she couldn’t even bring herself to be irritated. 

Because for the first time in a long while, since before she had lost her home and people, Melia felt truly hopeful, and she knew her future was bright.

**Author's Note:**

> feedback welcome! please bear in mind that this is the first fanfiction I've published in 6 years, and it isn't beta'd or proofread by anyone but myself.


End file.
